Among the many amazing features of Dr. King’s numerous classic speeches – including, of course, his iconic, “I Have a Dream” speech – was his use of “visual communication”… his talent and ability to paint pictures with words.

While Dr. King drew on a variety of rhetorical techniques to “Educate, Engage, & Excite” TM his audiences – e.g., alliteration, repetition, rhythm, allusion, and more – his ability to capture hearts and minds through the creative use of relevant, impactful, and emotionally moving metaphors was second to none.

What do metaphors do? They make the abstract concrete; the intangible tangible; the unfamiliar familiar, and the complex simple. By joining together in an innovative and powerful way the seemingly unconnected, effective metaphors imbed powerful and memorable images in our minds, while at the same time forging a powerful and memorable connection between speaker and listener.

With that thought in mind, I’ll leave with you this powerful and moving list of metaphors and images that Dr. King left with us:

A great beacon of light and hope

The flames of withering injustice

A joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity

A lonely island of poverty

A vast ocean of material prosperity

We have come…to cash a check

America has defaulted on this promissory note

A bad check which has come back marked “insufficient funds”

The bank of justice…the vaults of opportunity

The luxury of cooling off

The tranquilizingdrug of gradualism

The dark and desolate valley of segregation

The sunlit path of racial justice

The quicksands of racial injustice

The solid rock of brotherhood

The sweltering summer of…discontent

An invigorating autumn of freedom and equality

The whirlwinds of revolt

The bright day of justice

The palace of justice

Satisfy our thirst for freedom

Drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred

The high plane of dignity and discipline

Until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream